


Taking a Leap of Faith

by kaycrow



Category: Inception (2010), Nikita (TV 2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 21:42:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1833271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaycrow/pseuds/kaycrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After retirement, Alex, Owen and Birkhoff continued working in small jobs, but when it's asked of them to kill an old Owen's friend, Cobb and his team, the mercenaries double-cross Cobol. Now they have a choice - or they join forces and do one job for Cobol or they'll be hunt down and executed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Alex looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror of the dimly-lit hotel room, shoving her fingers through the curls of her hair. She gave her make up final touches: more blush, red lipstick. Hum, better make it a simple nude. She wanted to look professional. After all, it wasn’t every day a company like Cobol asked for a private meeting.

The brown and black vertical striped pants and the loose cotton blouse sat flawlessly on her athletic body, as the black high heels elongated her legs, accentuating her ass. Damn, she looked good.

“Alex, are you ready or what?” Owen said, as he opened the door and entered her room. He stopped at the entrance, and as she exited the bathroom he stared at her with a sheepish grin. He thought the looked good too.

“C’mon, Birkhoff is waiting,” she said, tapping his shoulder as she walked by him, but not before she took a good glimpse at him. Owen was wearing a dark two-piece suit with a white long-sleeve shirt and a plain black tie. Simple, but both effective and practical considering he was now formally known as her Head-Chief Security Officer; although he represented a more important role in her personal life.

Since the end of Division as well as the end of Nikita and Michael’s marriage, Alex was left with the option to regain control over the billion-dollar company of Zetrov, as her father would have expected of her. The power would allowed her to create organizations to help fight against human trafficking, and she could help girls from suffering the same fate she had. Even with that, she still didn’t feel quite comfortable with her new role. She wasn’t prepared to control the company, or to live more of a normal life, for that matter, with a house, children and a good husband to keep her warm at night. She wasn’t sure she wanted any of that for the time being.

Despite her trepidations, she set upon her business and recruited Owen and Birkhoff and together they started a Security Firm operating underground. The business was growing as word continued to spread of a powerful and competent Alexandra Udinov taking the helm of a corporation specialized in solving everyone’s problems – for a reasonable amount of money.

Birkhoff waited in the hallway and as they passed him by he joined their quick stride and gave them each an ear piece “Can you hear me?”

“It’s working. Birkhoff, access the hotel surveillance cameras, I want a footage of the meeting in our possession,” Alex ordered, walking side by side with Owen.

“On it,” he said, before turning around to return to his room, temporarily called the Opps Room.

“Let’s see what they’ve got for us,” Owen said, before allowing Alex to take the lead and taking a quick glance at the weapon on his waist, just in case he needed to use it.  
#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

The man sat alone in a booth of the bar with a drink in his hand, studying a few papers. Alex slipped in across him, while Owen stood at her side, opting to stand guard instead.

“My name is Richard Kelly and I’m Cobol’s Operations Advisor. A few months ago we suffered unbearable losses with a breach of contract by the signee, and now we need an efficient team to execute a closure with the same said firm.” He passed Alex the files and continued. “As I’m sure you can understand, Miss Udinov, Cobol does not take unfulfilled contractual obligations lightly.”

“I see,” she simply added, as she examined the files, her concentration interrupted by Owen’s voice.

“We have a small job in San Francisco, in two days’ time we’ll give an answer.” Alex tried to disguise her shocked reaction as she got up, shook Mr. Kelly’s hand and followed Owen back to the Opps Room.

As soon as they entered the elevator she punched him hard in his shoulder, letting out all of her frustration. “What the hell happened in there!? As far as I can recall I’m still the one who does the talking, and we do not have any mission in San Francisco!”

“I know, I’m sorry.” he sounded oddly nervous. “We need to leave now Alex, I need to warn Cobb.”

Alex stared at him for a few seconds, until it hit her that he was referring to the signee who bailed on the contract. “Dom Cobb? You know him?”

“He helped me while back, he practically saved me from losing my mind.” He gave her a sad smile at that before brushing it off of his face. “The least I can do is give him a head’s up, before Cobol hires someone who can actually do the job. He has two small kids, you know?”

Alex sighed with renewed frustration. “Fine. We’re gonna pay him a visit. And the other two, Arthur and Eames?”

“I’ll call Cobb to arrange a meeting, I guess he’ll fill them in”

“What!?” Both of them heard through the earplug the shocked tone on Birkhoff’s voice.

She smiled and punched Owen’s arm again, as she talked to the tech man “Aren’t you listening to me, nerd? We’re going to California!”


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Alex, Owen and Birkhoff arrived at the designated point early in the morning; a bunker in the most secluded part of the mountains just outside the city. It looked cold and abandoned, with moss covering most of its front wall. Owen parked their Chevrolet Orlando parallel to the Range Rover that was already stationed on the right side of the building, and they exited the vehicle in silence. He knocked twice of the metal door, which opened with a loud creak, the scratching of the metal signifying a need for some repair.

The man she recognized as being Cobb was on the other side of the door, and with a polite smile he invited them in. As soon as Alex stepped one foot inside she froze in amazement. The same bunker that seemed cold and empty from the outside was now seen from the inside as a cozy home, serene and well decorated. The walls were covered in red brick, and although the floors were just polished cement, it was far from the bleak and gloomy working place she had expected.

Immediately to the right it was the entrance hall, a small console table, made of what appeared to be the top drawers of an old light-wood dresser which was supported by two iron trestles, decorated with a couple of small green glass bottles and a dark metal desk lamp. Across it was the main bathroom, and next to that a dark metal staircase, that Alex assumed led to the bedrooms. Beyond that, beams divided the main area into sections; the living room first, the kitchen slightly behind and to the right, and the dining room adjacent to that. There were wide windows and a door that gave access to the outdoors. Alex narrowed her eyes, as she tried to focus her sight. Was that a pool outside!?

Cobb closed the door behind them and greeted them. “Welcome to my weekend getaway.”

“If this is a getaway, I’d like to see where he lives,” Birkhoff whispered to Alex, as Owen and Cobb greeted each other.

“And you must be Ms. Alexandra Udinov,” Cobb extended his hand. “My name’s Cobb”

“Just ‘Alex’ is fine,” she smiled.

He gave her a similar smile in return before proceeding down the hall. “Arthur is waiting outside, I’ll show you the common area and we’ll join him in a nice breakfast he arranged. Are you hungry?”

Alex nodded as Cobb showed them the main floor. The living room held a large, beige leather sofa, big enough for four people to sit in, and to its left a luxurious brown wool daybed. Across from that were two wire armchairs and a coffee table and the room was completed with a massive flat screen TV along the wall.

The kitchen had white wood cabinets with black marble countertops and a small island with two iron seats at the middle. The dark vintage appliances and the lack of much natural light could have made the area dim, but a beautiful plant with long and thin leaves at the corner of the counter, and the light that came from the small window looking out back made it bright enough.

The dining room was the area most exposed to natural light, and the light-wooded table surrounded by different leather armchairs and backless drafting stools gave it all a cozy feeling. But the best part was, without any doubt, the outdoors. Just outside the door a modular wood flooring extended through a large portion of the lawn, where a lounge and barbeque area were created, with smooth white seating pillows and acacia wood furniture, and to top it off there was a large pool that extended to the limits of the terrain, leading to a downhill with a spectacular view of the mountains.

Cobb led them outside, straight to the dining area, where a slightly frazzled suited man arranged a breakfast table. He was tall and slender, and the way the tailored suit and impeccable hair fitted him concealed his true age. He looked up, noticing the newly arrived guests, and greeted them with a firm shake of hands and a soft, warm smile. “I’m Arthur. Please sit.” Cobb sat at the head of the table and his tone suddenly sounded irritated. “We’d better start, if we wait for Eames we’ll starve”

“No need to worry, darling, I’ve arrived,” Eames slid out from inside the house and took a seats at Arthur’s left, picked up a piece of fruit and smiled deviously at the annoyed man that sat at his side. “I’m touched that you still think of me.”

Arthur simply rolled his eyes in response to his provocations. They all sat silent for a few moments, eating peacefully, until Cobb’s curiosity got the better of him and decided to request some answers from the guests. Cobb took one last sip from the coffee cup and cleared his throat before speaking, in his usually steady tone, “so, Owen, what brings you here? It must be important, since it couldn’t be discussed over the phone…”

Owen eyed him, but it was Birkhoff who spoke, showing as much interest in the topic. “Oh, yeah, that was actually my idea, ‘cause I’m pretty sure they have our lines bugged. You know, wiretapped.”

Cobb eyed him suspiciously. “They?”

“Yeah, you know, the guys that have a bounty on your asses- Ouch!!!” Birkhoff’s sarcastic tone suddenly changed to a howl of pain, as he looked at his left leg and reached down to rub where he’d just been kicked, hard. Alex shot him a sharp look, the kind that says ‘if you speak again I’ll make you choke on your own blood’ as she proceeded to answer the unspoken question Cobb was about to ask.

“Cobol Engineering. It seems they are looking for a team to wipe you out.”

Owen shot his hand up, trying to comfort their host. “Luckily, since they reached us first, we have leverage.”

“What kind of leverage?” Eames spoke directly to Alex. He wanted an honest answer, and so far as he could tell, she was the best one to get it from.

Alex looked him in the eyes as she replied, “a seven hour window, before we decline the job and they hire someone else.” She looked back to Cobb, whose eyes showed fear while his body language attempted to hide it. “We have arranged a meeting at four, that doesn’t give you much time to run, but that’s all you got”

“I’m not leaving.” Cobb shook his head and looked down at his hands. “I’m sorry. I’m not leaving my children again.”

“It’s dangerous for you to stay behind, mate; James and Philippa will be well taken care by Miles,” Arthur rationally added, but Cobb reacted negatively to the mention of his children’s names.

“I’m not leaving them again!”

“And what exactly are you planning to do?” Eames spoke this time. “March into Cobol’s headquarters and demand them to cease their pursuit on us?”

“We could try to make a deal with Kelly, the rep agent.”

Arthur held his hand up, “they won’t accept it; it’s vengeance for them, the tying of loose ends. I doubt you can change his mind”

Alex smiled. “I’m sure you know Owen isn’t the best when it comes to negotiating, but I can assure you that I am much more persuasive.”

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

The meeting was set on a rooftop bar at a nearby hotel, an established place for businesspeople to assemble and execute contracts. It was the typical location for the typical operation, and as Cobb and Arthur sat at a secluded table and Eames sat at the bar, Alex and Owen approached the table where Mr. Kelly was already waiting for them, with Birkhoff following the whole operation through the hotel security cameras and the ear pieces he gave each one of them.

“Miss Udinov, it’s always a pleasure. Have you taken into consideration my proposal?”

“I am sorry but I can’t accept, Mr. Kelly.” The room felt into silence, as she noticed it was almost empty. A few suited men entered the room in a quick pace, and everything happened fast but strangely as if it was almost in slow motion. In a split second men were scattered all over the room, approaching Cobb, Arthur and Eames, and before Mr. Kelly could raise and aim his gun at Alex she knocked it into the air and turned herself towards the man charging towards Owen, hitting him in his nose with her head, and as the man stepped away, disoriented, she kicked him across the chest, throwing him against a table before he fell unconscious.

She was about to turn back around before she was hit across the cheek with something hard and cold. As she felt to the ground the Mr. Kelly’s weapon was lying on the floor, so she quickly grabbed it and as she got up, pointed it directly to the man’s face, who was now aiming a gun at her forehead, so close she could feel the rough material in her skin.

She said nothing. She simply aimed her gun at the side of Mr. Kelly’s neck. She watched steadily as he yelled in rage, “did you think you could fool me? I know every single detail on your miserable life, and you don’t want to die over people you don’t even know!” His anger opened a window for her and she made quick work, ripping his gun from his grip and holding it at her side before she froze, realizing what he’d just said.

All of those sad memories of what she had been through over the years hit her at once, all of the people she‘d loved and lost, and she smiled sadly as she spoke with conviction. “Then you know what happens when I count to three.” She unlocked the safety grip and counted. “One…” the man hesitated, and she continued, now pressing the weapon against his neck “Two…”

“Okay, okay, let’s make a deal!” He yelled frustrated in surrender. When she didn’t remove the gun he continued. “I have a proposition you won’t decline. After that, Mister Cobb and his team can go on living their pathetic lives-“

Alex pressed the weapon harder into his skin, and spoke in a menacing tone. “Which is?”

“Amanda. I want you to perform an extraction from Amanda.” He spoke lower through his teeth, infuriated by her sudden power over him.

“And after that their debt is paid?”

“Yes,” He simply answered, feeling the pressure of the gun against his skin

“Deal.”

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Cobb kindly arranged the guest rooms in order for them to stay as long as they needed, something that was preferable over a hotel for Alex. She liked the way the safe house felt like a home, as a family shared beautiful unforgettable memories there, which were now scattered through the brick walls and in black and white photographs. Most of them were photos of his children, two dazzling blond haired, good-looking small beings, laughing and playing through the shots, a few with an older man and some of them with an older woman too, probably Cobb or his wife’s parents, and a couple actually made her smile. One was Cobb and Arthur in a foreign city, Tokyo maybe, and the other was set in the garden, at the couch area, with both Cobb and Arthur slyly smiling in the picture, and Eames doing his own impression of an uninterested grin.

Arthur led them upstairs, to where the guest rooms were. Owen and Birkhoff were sharing a room, and Alex would have one of her own, with her own private bathroom, and the room ‘with the best view of the house,’ Arthur assured her with a soft smile. And he wasn't lying. The room itself was incredible, what used to be an unimpressive and dirty old attic turned into a cozy feminine bohemian style bedroom, a room previously designed for Cobb’s daughter. The walls were all clean white, except the one at the end of the room, with the door that gave access to the small balcony, and the huge beams that crossed the white ceiling, they were mahogany wooded, as so was the floor. The room wasn't heavily furnished, but the essential fittings were there and it was well decorated.

The iron bed was nestled against the wall, and it was covered with thick white quilt, ethnic purple pillows and a small black blanket at the end of the bed. Across the bed, at the corner, was a dressing space, with a clothes rack, a footstool and a floor mirror. And in the other side of the room, a private bathroom was hidden within a blurred glass divider. She walked towards the huge bed and threw herself over the soft, fluffy white blankets, and buried her face in the pillows, overwhelmed by the soft fabric against her skin, and she almost fell asleep, if it wasn’t by the voice that brought her back.

“You’d better clean those wounds,” Cobb said, pointing to her face, and she smiled, getting up and sitting at the end of the bed. He moved closer and continued, “thank you, for literally fighting for our lives. It means more to me than you’ll know. Now, goodnight and rest well, we have a busy day ahead.”


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Alex woke up in the middle of the night with the sound of her own voice, pleading for her father’s aid. Her heart was pounding furiously and her breathing was erratic. Sweat coated her body and tears covered her face, and a tremble ran through her core at the recognition of what happened.

Alex ran her shaking hand through her forehead, cleaning away the sticky, cold sweat, as her heart still fought to lunge out of her chest. She’d been plagued by nightmares, images of her father being killed in front of her and the time she lived as nothing more than an young prostitute, the friends she’d lost at Division, and lastly, the loss of Sean. The feeling of being alone, frightened and powerless was with her every day, and it was too overwhelming for her to bear within her dreams as well.

Alex looked at the vintage metal clock perched upon the end table, it was only a few minutes past four. She got up and walked towards the bathroom sink, turning on the cold water to its full power, scooping and splashing water onto her face. She grabbed a small towel and walked towards the balcony, and looked at the punching bag that was set next to the lounge area. That would do for a couple of hours.

Dawn rose quickly, and after four hours of training she wasn’t tired at all. Although she would prefer to continue working out, in an hour or so Cobb would initiate their training in the dream sharing, so it would be better for her to take a quick shower. She ran quickly up the stairs, holding to the rails, and she was so absorbed by her own thoughts that she almost bumped into Eames. He stopped her by her shoulders and smiled, as the imminent crash was avoided.

“Morning darling, up already?” he took a glance at her as she stepped back, raising an eyebrow. She was in sports clothes, and her skin was all sticky and sweaty. She didn’t know what to say, so she quickly walked pass him by and entered her room in haste, closing the door behind her, but she could still hear him say before he walked away, “Nice chatting with you.”

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Arthur gathered everyone outside for breakfast, and after a quick snack Cobb took the meeting to the couch. Alex was still sipping her coffee when Cobb got up and walked towards the white board as he started to speak.

“We need a plan, a well-structured plan before-”

“I’m sorry chief, but this is our field of expertise.” Birkhoff got up from the couch and walked towards Cobb, giving him a pat on the shoulder before starting to talk. “Amanda is in a U.S. secret basement, right? Well, they have received an order to relocate on the 15th, due to security issues, by yours truly, Shadow Walker, and we have a two hour window to hijack the transportation – probably an SUV - before they noticed it’s off route.”

It was obvious that Cobb, Arthur and Eames didn’t understand anything Birkhoff just said, Alex noticed as she looked at their faces. Both Owen and Alex herself were graduates of Birkhoff 101, but to everyone else the only response is to give off a look that says, ‘we never know exactly what he’s saying, we just nod and smile politely.’

Alex wanted to laugh at the sight of those men staring awkwardly at Birkhoff, but instead she cleared her throat to draw attention from the tech man. “Okay, Owen and Birkhoff, you two go on and find a way to get us inside that car. Arthur and Eames, do whatever plans you do before an extraction. Cobb, I need you to teach me all I need to know about dream share, I’ll be going with you.”

Everyone suddenly started talking at the same time, the commotion making it clear that they didn’t agree with her plan. But time was running short, and she wasn’t there for a debate. “Listen Owen, I saw you limping, your leg, it’s worse, right? And you Cobb, you need someone who’s been inside Division, ‘cause no matter the plan these two come up with, I bet it involves me. I’m the key to get through here, and you know that, so quit stalling, we have less than 36 hours to come up with a plan and execute it.”

Without further hesitation, Arthur went inside to grab the PASIV kit as Cobb guided Alex to the reclining chairs, leaving the rest of the men to the research and outline the plan. Cobb laid on the chair and as he waited for Arthur to return he turned to Owen. “What happened to your leg?”

Owen looked down at the injured leg, “I got shot.”

Birkhoff, without looking away from the laptop screen, clarified, pointing towards Alex, “She did it.”

Alex could feel everyone’s eyes on her, and she could sense her cheeks burning red, so she spoke nervously, “What!? It was the only way they wouldn’t take him as hostage!”

Arthur stuck the PASIV needle into Alex’s forearm, and she could see he, as well as Cobb, were still smiling from her declaration, so she spoke lower this time, in a shy, childish tone, “It seemed a good idea at the time…”

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Dom handed Alex a cup of Starbucks coffee as they continued their walk through a busy Californian street, people coming in and out of big high-fashion stores with their arms filled with shopping bags with designers logos on them. Alex stared at the new Diesel collection; there were a few military styled pieces she wouldn’t mind adding to her closet. She took another sip of the hot beverage while she practically drooled over a black leather jacket, but suddenly she froze. How did she get here? She looked around at the people surrounding her, and her mouth dropped slightly open as she felt her heart racing towards an abnormal pace, as the memories flooded her head. She recalled being in the safe house, on a reclining chair, waiting for Arthur to bring the PAS-

Suddenly the ground and buildings started to shake, first a small earthquake, but its force and impact grew by the second. She felt two hands grabbing her shoulders and now she was facing Cobb, who spoke gently but with a nervous tone. “Alex, if you don’t calm yourself, the dream will collapse.”

Alex looked Cobb straight in the eyes and exhaled heavily, bringing herself to a serene state. After a few seconds, the street stopped shaking, and the people around them resumed their activities, as if nothing had happened. Cobb smiled at her, “I’m impressed. I’ve never seen someone untrained being able to prevent a dream from collapsing.” He let his hands slide off her shoulders and he brought them behind his back, continuing his lecture as they walked side by side.

“When awake, we only use a fraction of our brain's true potential, but when we sleep, our mind can do almost anything. We can create, control and manipulate the dream world, its landscapes, buildings and characters, but dream sharing requires certain tools.” Alex nodded and Cobb continued, “We are the tools. The Subject is the person providing the information and projections needed to the fill the dream setting. The Dreamer is the person who creates the world of the dream. In our situation here, I am the Subject and you are the Dreamer, and that is why when you realized you were dreaming the world almost collapsed.”

They contoured the street corner and now they were walking on the sidewalk across the beach. “What about the subject?

“If the dreamer realizes he’s dreaming, the mind will search out the invader, and soon the projections will turn against the dreamer, fighting him as our body fights an infection.”

Suddenly Alex stopped. She saw Thom. At least, she thought she did. Then everything unwound quickly. In a few seconds, Thom was approaching them with a handgun and was ready to shoot them, but Alex pulled Cobb out the range. He continued to shoot against the wall they were hiding behind.

“What’s happening?” Alex yelled under the sounds of brick being torn apart, as she and Cobb covered their heads with their arms.

“The projection is reaching for the subject!”

“Thom, stop it!” Alex yelled desperately, and the shooting stopped. Alex slid out from cover and passed Cobb, and although he tried yelling ‘no!’ under his breath, she still made her way in front of the projection of Thom. She could feel the tears building up in her eyes, and although she tried to speak calmly as soon as she spoke her voice audibly low and trembling.

“Hi Thom,” she forced a smile, and that was when the tears ran down her face. “I miss you so much… Please, don’t shoot Cobb, okay?”

The boy raised his gun. “It’s not him I’m after,” and shot her in the head, waking her up with a brutal shake.

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Both Alex and Cobb awoke with a jump. Cobb got up instantly and walked around, his blue eyes wide in shock. Arthur and Eames ran immediately towards them, Arthur helping Cobb stop the bleeding from where the needle was ripped, and Eames helped Alex straighten up. She quickly cleaned away the tears that were steadily falling down her cheeks, and although Eames didn’t say anything she knew he’d noticed them. Owen walked slowly towards them, and as soon as he approached them Eames stepped away, giving him space to stand between him and Alex.

Arthur passed a clean tissue to Cobb, who was now just cleaning the blood around the small wound, and spoke lowly, “What happened?”

“Alex was doing fine, she’d even stopped the dream from collapsing, but then a projection shot her.”

Eames looked at Cobb and spoke exasperated, “A projection kills the subject, not the dreamer. Maybe the shot was meant for you.”

Cobb passed the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead, trying to think as the adrenaline in him gave another kick. “No, no, I was out of range. He really meant to shoot her.”

“It was Thom,” she spoke to Owen, but everyone turned to her. “He’s dead because of me”

“Even if that were true, that’s not really him, it’s your own guilt projected towards you.” He sounded calm, and its voice was now as smoothly as ever. “You can’t hold onto something like that.”

She looked at him until Cobb’s voice brought her back from her trance. “Alex, are you alright?” She nodded back at him and smiled tried to smile as he continued, 

“It’s better if you rest a couple-“

“No, I’m ready, let’s do it”

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Another restless night found Alex once again outside, in the early hours of the morning, beating senseless the poor punching bag. ‘Whoever decided on this outside gym is a genius.’ The workout relaxed her tensed body and the fresh air relaxed her troubled mind. Although the previous day had drained her, nothing could push away the horrible nightmares that kept creeping around when she slept.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice him approaching.

“I’ve just realized how poorly your sleeping habits are, it must be frustrating not to be able to sleep.”

The British-accented voice brought her back to reality. She stopped, but she didn’t need to turn around and face him to know who he was. “I can sleep, Eames, I just prefer not to.”

“Hmm, I see.” He held her hand in his and pulled her away from the training bag. “Come with me love, the dummy has suffered enough. Besides, I’ve got something better for us to do”

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Eames took Alex down the hill, to an even more secluded part of the mountain. He had on his shoulder a duffle bag that he managed to get while she was inside the house grabbing her hoodie. When they finally arrived at their destination, Eames turned on the large solar spotlight sitting a few feet away. He unzipped the bag and picked up an air rifle and handed it to Alex, before walking a few yards upfront and setting a dozen empty soda cans on an improvised fence. This was their practice field, she realized, and it was a good place, for there was no way the people still sleeping at the safe house could hear the sound of the weapons.

“Okay, you shoot while I drink a few beers, the first one you miss we trade places.”

“I-”

He cut her off right away, with his trademark grin spread all over his face. “Don’t you worry darling; I brought you a pack of Red Bulls. You weren’t intending on sleeping anyway, were you?”

In between shooting down the dozen cans in turns, to then picking them up and starting shooting once again, the hours passed without Alex really noticing. They spoke of frugal subjects and the job they were preparing themselves for, but nothing actually personal, Alex noticed, as she was shooting the last two cans on the fence, and Eames sat in a plastic chair with a beer in his hand, watching her aim at the target.

“Tell me something about you,” he simply asked

“There’s nothing to tell,” she lied, as she shot down the can with a perfect precision, not turning to face him, and aiming towards the last can standing.

“Your accent is Russian, that I am sure, and by the way you refuse alcohol and hesitated when the needle touched your arm I can definitely say that you were addicted to both.” Without her noticing he had crept up behind her. “…Which is very common with the sex slaves fallen victim to trafficking. Am I close?” She could feel the warmth of his breath touching her ear, so she stood as quiet as her racing heart allowed, her chest up and down as she tried to hold her aim at the can. “What happened with Thom?”

And that was it. She missed the shot, as her heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said with what she hoped was assuredness, only her trembling voice gave her away, Eames noticed. She shoved the gun towards his chest and walked passed him, sitting down in the chair right across from where he was previously.

Eames put his hands up, in a gesture of surrender, and spoke with a low, smooth voice. “It’s okay. Actually, I’d rather not listen to some old, sad story, it ruins both my mood and my fuddle…” by now he had already sat on the other chair, and they sat silence for a few moments. He scanned her for a second. She was very good-looking, with pale skin, light blue eyes and plump pink-ish lips, and more curves in that athletic body of hers than a common man could ever bare. And still, when it came to her personality, she was just like an iceberg, underneath all that superficial beauty there was an unseen complex nature, most likely to make a man sink than to help him swim to shore…

He smiled at her, as he already knew her reaction to his following statement. “I’ve gotta give it to you darling, this is the most peculiar date I’ve ever been on.”

“It’s not a date!” she snapped out loud, giving him just the exact annoyed reaction he expected. He was looking straight at her, a mocking smirk playing in his lips, as he rubbed the edge of the beer bottle with his index finger. She rolled her eyes and she smiled, a warm genuine smile she quickly tried to cover by drinking a gulp of Red Bull. He continued staring at her, with a raised eyebrow, and resumed his teasing speech.

“But it was surprisingly enjoyable. We should do this again soon!”

She cracked-up in a loud laughter, something that made him chuckle. She was always reserved and liked to keep to herself, playing safe when it came to people, but now he could sense she was completely relaxed, aside from being tired, she was really enjoying herself and the company, he hoped.

Eames got up and arranged all the gear together, and spoke as he observed the east horizon “The sun is rising. We better go, if we want to catch a couples’ hours’ sleep.”


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

After the meeting with Eames, Alex fell asleep as soon as she climbed into bed. She awoke a few minutes past eight, feeling genuinely in a great mood for once, and decided to take a nice bubble bath before making her way downstairs. The citrus scented gel was incredibly soothing and after drying her body and hair, she slipped on a plain cotton bra and pants, and walked towards the clothes rack. She picked up slim jeans, a white tank top and a green plaid shirt, rolling the sleeves up to her elbows. She slipped her feet into military style ankle boots, leaving her hair loose in waves and after applying some light makeup she was ready to go.

Arthur was outside, as usual, and she greeted him with a smile as she grabbed the morning journal and a cup of coffee. She sat on what was quickly becoming “her” chair and read the paper while sipping occasionally on the cup, as Arthur stood across her reading something out of his smartphone.

Although her eyes ran through the titles, Alex couldn't focus on anything, her mind wondering about what had happened the previous night. And what exactly had happened? She wasn't sure, but she felt like she’d let go and actually enjoyed spending time with someone since she had lost Sean. Maybe she could enjoy herself even more, hang out with her friends, and maybe even have fun for a while since the days of Division were long gone. She was no longer a secret operative, she was a free young woman, smart enough and with the right resources to make something out of her life. Maybe after this mission she would take control of Zetrov’s, and use it to do good.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and she looked back Owen who held a playful smile on his face. “Morning Alex, are you done with that?” He said, pointing at the paper, fully aware she wasn’t even reading it. She smiled back and handed it to him, before grabbing a bagel and piling it with scrambled eggs and bacon. She was so absorbed in the delicious calorie-laden breakfast that Birkhoff had to wave his hand in front of her face to capture her attention.

“Alex, are you listening to me? Geez, what’s up with you?”

“I’m just enjoying my breakfast,” she replied. “And I’m in a good mood today, don’t ruin it.”

Arthur’s phone rang and he immediately withdrew from the conversation as he got up and walked away, but Birkhoff continued scrutinizing her. “Alex in a good mood? That’s something I’ve never thought I’d see in my life time…”

She shot him an annoyed glare, something that made Owen laugh. “Don’t push her, Seymour”

“I’m glad to see our night activities took a rather delightful effect on you, darling, you look stunning.” Alex eyes widened at Eames, who was now staring at her as he sat in front of her, teasing her with his stupid grin and playful tone as he now side-eyed her clueless friends, mocking her with her own words. “It was not a date.”

Alex was about to talk back to him when Arthur and Cobb came back to the table, the young man speaking to the rest of the group. “Ariadne’s plane arrives in half an hour, and Yusuf’s twenty minutes after. I’m on my way to the airport to pick them up.”

“We need to work quickly, we only have five hours before we put the plan on motion,” Dom replied, as he sat at the head of the table and grabbed his own breakfast, now speaking directly to Alex. “If you want we can go under one last time before the job.”

Eames quickly interrupted, “if you don’t mind mate, I can handle this one. It’s better if Alex gets familiarized with my work before the job.”

Dom looked towards Alex and she nodded back at him. “Just make sure you two are careful.”

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Alex was in a paradisiac beach at sunset, a beautiful scenario; the warm breeze caressed her face as she observed the horizon, painted orange and reddish. She looked over her shoulder, Eames was sat in the sand with his arms wrapped around his knees, as he looked right back at her, his dark-grey eyes concentrated deeply in her face. “Nice move Eames,” she commented dryly, sitting by his side as he shot her a ravishing smile. “What now?”

“I think it’s better for us to wait for that little boyfriend of yours.” He paused, looking straight ahead, his eyes sharp and focused on the sea. “Do you know how to take care of him?” 

After her first encounter with the Thom Projection, Cobb took her under again and revealed to her he had once had the same problem with his deceased wife, Mal, and the way to get rid of her in his dreams was by shooting her down. After a while of doing it as a routine, Cobb didn’t feel so bad about it and her projection faded away, never coming back. So he advised Alex to do the same to the boy; it might be hard at first but she’d get used to it, and the sooner she’d get used to it the sooner he’d disappear.

“A bullet to the head.” Alex continued observing the sunset, never once looking back at him, and they sat for a while in silence. 

“Who was he?” Eames asked, as curiosity got the best of him.

“Just a friend.” How could Alex even begin to explain to Eames who Thom was to her, and what she’d done to him? Thom was her only friend inside Division for a while, but when he found out she was the mole he didn’t even hesitate for a second in his sudden desire to bring her down at any cost, and unfortunately he was shot during their rustle for the weapon he held. “I shot him.” 

His unfortunate death had given her the perfect cover. Thom was implicated as the mole, buying her more time inside Division; something that, despite his want to kill her first, she’d always felt guilty about. “He’s dead because of me.”

Eames decided not to push for an explanation, and she was grateful for that.

Suddenly a car stopped with a loud screech of rubber on the road, making both of them straightened up at the same time, and Alex froze as she saw not only Thom exiting the car but Sean trailing behind him. Her chest tightened and she could feel stubborn tears forming in her eyes as she tried to push them away. 

Eames mouth was moving but she couldn’t understand what he was saying. She failed to react when Sean fired the first shot but Eames was quicker, he pushed her down, shielding her, before roughly taking the gun from her hands and shooting back at them. Both of the projections backed off, hiding behind the open car doors, leaving a moment when Eames and Alex could move behind the adjacent vehicle.

A shot connected with Eames’ arm and his back slammed into the side of the car. He held his arm as the wound started to bleed all over his dark-grey suit jacket. The sight jostled her out of her daze and Alex got up to shoot, but instead of a handgun she had a machine-gun, the magnitude of which immediately destroyed their barricades and killed the projections instantly.

“Hmm, are you alright, love?” Eames slowly stood up and walked towards her as he spoke hesitantly. She had her eyes closed and her jaw tightened, and as he waited for any indication of her condition she slightly opened her mouth to speak and a few tears fell from her big blue eyes that were now staring at his. She wiped off the tears and spoke, a sad, low hum coming out of her full lips.

“They’re just projections, right?”

He stood quietly; he actually didn’t know what to say. Those two men were memories of her past, and those memories brought her unimaginable pain. “You are confined only by the walls you build yourself. You need to learn to let go.” He then took off his suit-jacket and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, exposing his wound. Alex handed him her weapon and took off her plaid shirt and ripped off a piece of fabric, bandaging his arm. Eames raised an eyebrow as he observed the gun in his hand and looked back at her.

She furrowed her brows. “What? If we’re dreaming, we might as well dream big.” 

She could feel his gaze falling upon her cleavage, so she tied the knot with a little more strength that she usually would use, making him flinch. He chuckled, a soft smile playing on his lips, and she smiled back at him.

“I’m beginning to think we’re a lot alike, you and I.” He took a step back before crouching down and sitting down on the curb. “Okay, we better get back to our lesson… Let’s see… I’m a forger…”

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

It was much more enjoyable to wake up as the PASIV timer went off, instead of waking up scared half to death with the feeling of someone removing your existence from the world, Alex thought, as she lazily opened her eyes. She got up slowly and observed as Eames rubbed his arm where he had been shot, and as he felt her gaze on him he chuckled. “It’s not real, but still hurts like hell.”

A female voice spoke from the door, and as Alex turned her head she noticed a small brunette with big brown eyes smiling widely as she walked towards Eames. He smiled back as he embraced her and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, the girl’s face turning red a second after.

“Ah, salut, ma chére, comme sa va?” The girl simply giggled at his greeting, and he set his hand on her shoulder, motioning towards Alex, his face tender as he spoke. “Ari, let me introduce you to my lovely friend Alex. And Alex, this adorable little woman is Ariadne…” he cleared his throat and spoke lower, mock-discontent written all over his tone, “Arthur’s beau.”

Ariadne rolled her eyes as she kindly pushed him off and extended her hand towards Alex. “Eames, behave. Alex, very nice to meet you, Arthur told me a few things about you.”

Alex shook her hand softly and smiled back at the girl. “Not all bad things, I hope.”

“Oh, not at all, he’s actually very excited to work with your team!”

“Are you joining us as well?” Alex asked as Cobb and someone she assumed was Yusuf approached them.

“No, not this time, I’m just here for support.”

“Alex, this is Yusuf, our chemist,” Cobb said as he waved his hand back and forth between the two of them.

Alex greeted the pleasant-looking Indian man with a shake of hands and a smile, but she felt uncomfortable as she couldn’t think of anything to say to him, and she wasn’t a big chit-chatter. She excused herself politely and walked towards Ariadne, who was now indoors in the kitchen, placing the take-out food in separate trays, absent minded of her presence.

“Can I help?” Alex asked kindly, and she laughed slightly as the girl jumped in surprise. “I’m sorry! didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, it’s fine, I was just thinking…” Ariadne stopped, instead of finishing her sentence she grabbed two trays and walked outside.

Her face showed concern and Alex didn’t need her to explain the exact thoughts she was having. It was, after all, a dangerous mission, and Cobb had told her they’d be using the same drug they had used in the Fisher’s job, a powerful drug that kept them from waking prior to the completion of the job, but if they died in the dream they would never wake up, they would be left in a permanent coma, lost in limbo. The last time, she had been told, Ariadne brought Cobb back, but this time she wouldn’t be there with them, so she must be worried sick.

Alex grabbed the other two trays and followed her, placing the incredible-smelling trays filled with steaks with pepper sauce, white rice and salad on the table and sitting back in her place.

“We need to get over the plan one more time,” Cobb spoke in his naturally calm tone, but in response the group replied with grunts and groans and dissimulated laughs, and Cobb looked back at them with an offended expression.

“Ugh, come on dude, we’ve been over the plan a thousand times, give up already, it doesn’t get any better than that!” Birkhoff cried out, as he held a bottle of beer up and drank a sip.

“Can we just forget about work for now and enjoy the meal, please?” Alex asked as Arthur picked up his own bottle and nodded to her, smiling as the rest of the group did the same.

“Cheers to that!”


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five  
The lunch ended too soon for Alex’s taste and they were on the move before she knew it. Sure, she wanted to complete their mission as soon as possible but something about it felt off, and the apprehension made a part of her want to put it off as long as she could; when it came to dealing with Amanda, it was like walking on thin ice. One wrong move and you’re drowning in freezing water. 

Amanda was smart and cunning, capable of deceiving everyone with little effort and zero remorse. She felt compassion for no one, and when it came to revenge she was ruthless. If the plan went sour and Amanda got loose, Alex expected swift and brutal retaliation.

“Alex, your phone is ringing.” Yusuf snapped her out of her train of thought, as the phone rang two more times before she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, kiddo!” 

A familiar voice answered back, making Alex smile. “Hi, Nikita.”

“Can we talk or are you busy? Do you want me to call another time?”

“No, it’s fine. Go ahead.” 

“Well… I’m pregnant, we’re gonna have a baby!”

Alex’s face lit up, a genuinely gleeful smile spread across her face. “That’s amazing news, congrats!” She looked up and saw Eames eyeing her through the rear-view mirror as she continued. “Boy or girl? Do you have names already? When’s it due?” She heard shuffling in the background before someone momentarily muffled the phone. 

“Hey, Alex, it’s Michael. As thrilled as we are right now, this is the kind of news we’d like to celebrate face to face, so get your butt here as soon as you can, okay?”

“Fine, Mikey. Next week I’m taking some time off. I’ll visit you then, okay?”

“Sounds good to me, Auntie Alex” he teased her, but when she didn’t say anything back he asked, “is everything alright, Alex? Are you on a mission, or do you need to talk about something?”

“No, no - I’m not working right now, just visiting some of Owen’s old friends.” She lied, but she didn’t want Michael and Nikita to know what she was about to do, she didn’t want them to worry. “Listen, Michael, I need to let you go now, I’ll call later to arrange a visit, okay?”

“You know, if you need to talk, I’m just a call away, alright? Come soon, we miss you a lot, Alex.”

“I miss you too, bye now.”

“Bye.”

She hung up, and swallowed the emotion building in her voice. She missed Nikita a lot, but Michael was whom she missed the most. She had always looked up to him, and he had always looked out for her, caring for and nurturing her as a big brother would. She’d actually never had a big brother, but she liked to think that was what big brothers do. She took a deep breath and looked up to the front seats. 

“How long ‘til we make contact?” 

“Thirty miles,” Eames spoke under his breath, gritting his teeth. He had been acting distant since they’d gotten into the vehicle, but she thought he might just be focused on the job ahead, so she didn’t push it. 

And frankly, she needed to do the same if she wanted the mission to go on without a hitch, because now that she knew about Nikita and Michael, there was no way in hell anyone would stop her from being an aunt to that little girl. Yeah, it will definitely be a baby girl.

 

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

 

Eames stopped the SUV at the side of the road waited, still holding the steering wheel with both of his hands in a tight grip. He looked to his right, where Yusuf sat, and a sudden ache grew in his chest. The man was clearly on the edge, shaking slightly, not at all prepared to take part in a job with direct confrontation. And it was Eames’ fault that Yusuf got dragged down into this god dammed mess in the first place.

Eames sat back and tried to relax and clear his head before Alex moved closer to the front seat and put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently as she spoke.

"Eames, the package is on the move."

Eames through the car into drive and followed the government vehicles and their escorts from a secure distance for a couple of miles, until they spotted a truck coming from the opposite direction. Birkhoff’s voice filled their heads as he spoke through the earpiece. 

“Okay guys – and ladies – our plan is in motion. Alex, it’s your turn.”

Alex quickly opened the window of the left rear door and aimed an electronic impulse weapon towards the last of the three government cars. She fired, lodging a metal claw to its tailgate, making the car slow down, until eventually it stopped completely. As the third car decelerated, the first two slammed on their breaks.

Even before their team could exit the vehicle, the government agents were firing at them. Eames pulled Yusuf down as small pieces of glass flew above their heads. Cobb, Arthur, Owen and Seymour fired against them, under the shield of an SUV escort, giving enough time for Eames to help Yusuf out of the car as Alex followed closely behind them, taking down two agents with guns pointed towards them. They easily took down the agents from the first car, which left only the two, or maybe three agents still inside the second car, protecting the ‘package’.

The group quickly circled the vehicle, Arthur shooting the driver through the front window as Alex immediately shot the agent on the passenger seat. As Owen had suggested while they were drafting the plan, an extra agent was sitting in the second row, whom was promptly disabled.

Alex opened slowly the rear door, her soft light-blue eyes turned cold and sharp as she finally spoke. “Amanda.”

 

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

 

Alex knew that seeing Amanda again, after all that had happened, would be like being stabbed in the gut, and quite frankly, her first reaction upon seeing the woman sitting on the back seat, smiling vainly at her was to shoot her right in the head. It had taken Alex all of her strength not to do it.

“Amanda,” she simply said, her voice steady, but her body burning with rage.

“Alex, what a pleasant surprise,” Amanda spoke with a smile on her lips as she slid out of the car, her hands bound by handcuffs. “And just when I thought you had forgotten all about me.”

“Move,” Alex said, as she stepped aside, pointing her to the path though the vegetation. Cobb, Yusuf and Ariadne were already on their way to the base, a 3 square mile wood cabin in the middle of nowhere, arranging the station for the extraction to take place. Owen and Arthur were pulling the bodies off the road as Birkhoff and Eames blocked the road from its remaining access.

Amanda stared at Alex with a defiant look, “now now, where are your manners?”

Alex looked down and smiled, quickly pulling up her gun and hitting Amanda in her cheek with the grip panel, causing her to knock her back against the vehicle. “I said move. Please.”

Owen and Birkhoff stayed behind in case the back-up agents were coming earlier than expected as the rest of them set off. Alex smiled at them and nodded when both murmured ‘good luck’. As they start walking, she turned back and watched curiously as Owen was whispering something to Eames, his hand clasped to his forearm.

Alex decelerated her pace, giving Eames the time to catch up with her. “What was that all about?” she inquired, receiving a shrug in return.

“Nothing that should concern you, darling. Shall we continue?”

 

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

 

They reached a small wooden cabin with no furniture that had been abandoned for at least a couple of years, judging by the footprints that were now visible across the dusty floor and the cobwebs at every corner and around the small window. Ariadne was placing a layer of cloth at a corner were they would sit while attached to the PASIV.

Amanda turned towards her. “Alex, what do you want?” 

She knew Amanda well, and she could see that she was nervous, knowing that the information she held was the only power she had over her. “Is it vengeance? Do you want to make me pay for everything that happened to you?” 

Alex pushed Amanda roughly against the hard floor and turned away from her, focusing on Eames’s conversation, as they all sat, making the final arrangements necessary for dream sharing.

“I guess we can expect more of those nasty projections of yours, wouldn’t you say so darling?”

“You know what they say” Alex added with a playful tone as Ariadne passed the needles around and waited for Cobb’s word to pull them under. “If it isn’t rough it isn’t fun.”

Suddenly everything became to blur, and soon they would all be brought to face all the darkness she fought to keep inside…


End file.
